Dietary stevioside supplementation increases feed intake by altering the hypothalamic transcriptome profile and gut microbiota in broiler chickens.

Dietary STE supplementation promoted feed intake through the regulation of the hypothalamic neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway and the alteration of intestinal microbiota composition. This study provides valuable information about the sweetness-independent mechanism of the STE-induced orexigenic effect using the broiler chicken (which is insensitive to sweetness) as the animal model. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.